Rugby teams irate over state of affairs
Calistus Kolantsho | Tuesday August 25, 2015 14:21
UB Rhinos spokesperson, Lesedi Keekae argued that the two-months’ break that the league took affected the momentum of players. He suggested that when the national team is in action, players should be kept active.
“Look, the league ends without a sponsor and the winners would walk away without silverware.
“We cannot attract sponsors if our league is not being run properly. We should change the way we do things or else we will not grow. It is not a good thing for the league winners to walk away empty-handed all the time,” Keekae said.
BDF Cheetahs spokesperson, Modesto Madzambi shared Keekae’s sentiments.
He said the league has now grown and it has been a long time without a sponsor.
He said what is demoralising is that most companies are eager to assist Hogs while the league is ignored.
He argued that it is impossible to have a strong national team without a strong league. He appealed to the private sector to come on board and assist the sport.
Madzambi said the BRU committee’s decision to take a break was ill-advised and had a negative impact on the momentum of the league.
He revealed that the BRU even cancelled some of the 7’s tournaments that were lined up.
BRU president, Elijah Jones said it is unfortunate that negotiations with a potential sponsor did not conclude on time. He promised that a sponsor would be on board next season.
He said lack of sponsorship should not dampen the clubs’ spirit, instead they should continue working hard. He noted that rugby is an amateur sport in Botswana and the government is willing to assist.
“It is true that the league was on break, but that was due to the national team commitments. During that period, we held 7’s tournaments across the country as a way of keeping players busy,” he said.
Meanwhile, Jones said Hogs has a strategy it is using to attract sponsors. He said the club also charges BRU for the use of Wharic Park.
Mmegi Sport is reliably informed that the BRU pays Hogs more than P100, 000 a year for the games played at the Wharic Park.